Putin and Xi Jinping meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit

International leaders, including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have arrived in Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, with official events.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the first in a series of planned bilateral discussions. This took place after Putin's arrival in Kyrgyzstan and was preceded by a meeting in China at the end of May.

During the discussions, the leaders will address bilateral cooperation and urgent international issues, including the construction of a new gas pipeline, called the 'Power of Siberia 2' project. Putin also proposed transforming the visa-free travel regime between Russia and China into a permanent one, considering the significant increase in tourist flow. The visa-free regime, which allows Russian tourists to visit China for 30 days, has been extended until 2027.